Diamond Tooth Taxidermy “Recycles” Dead Animals Into Creepy Wearables

Taxidermy meets haute couture with these creative designs by Beth Beverly. It may sound like a peculiar combination, but the Pennsylvania-based designer has been causing a stir with her elaborate ideas that see dead animals transformed into fashionable accessories. As a qualified taxidermist, Beverly created her brand Diamond Tooth Taxidermy after working as a window dresser. She would watch birds, having flown into a window, be ignored by passers by after they had met an untimely death, and so vowed to do something to show their magnificence to the world and give them a second life as wearable art.

Her designs are quirky and inventive, particularly these stunning hats and headdresses which incorporate carcasses in a way that makes them look beautiful. This is no ordinary feat, but the designer says from the start of her training in taxidermy she felt compelled to put every animal on her head.

This is particularly interesting: taxidermy has a long history of being a commercial way of preserving a dead animal on a pedestal or mount, while Beverly’s concept is to share the “beauty” of these creatures in an interactive and public form of art.

She still maintains a respect for the tradition of taxidermy, however, takes care to only use specimens that have expired naturally or for food. Once sourced, she undertakes every step of the process. This includes skinning, tanning and mounting, and then packaging and marketing. This one-woman show is really impressive and covers a wide array of pieces, so take a look at her website for more information and a whole range of images.